Somers Democrats Still Seek Candidates

SOMERS — Democrats decided Thursday night to keep alive the prospect of a race for first selectman, but are still hunting for a candidate.

The party's caucus nominated Joseph Hourihan for the post, but he didn't attend the session and party leaders acknowledged that he's serving as a ``placeholder'' candidate.

The caucus specified that Maurice Rondeau, the party's acting chairman, can replace Hourihan if another candidate comes forward.

``Sometimes people come forward late, and this leaves that possibility open,'' said Democratic Selectwoman Allyson Vecchiarelli.

The party's search committee also found no candidate for treasurer, and the caucus nominated Rondeau as a ``placeholder'' candidate for that post.

Candidates can drop off the ticket in September, before official ballots are printed, Rondeau said.

``It isn't uncommon to have straw candidates -- in the meantime it gives other people a chance to raise their hands late and try for it,'' Rondeau said.

If the caucus had left the treasurer's and first selectman's lines blank, it would have become far harder for latecomer candidates to get their names onto the ballot, Rondeau said.

The caucus also nominated Vecchiarelli, who was appointed in the winter as the first woman in town history to serve on the board of selectmen. She is the lone Democrat on the board, serving with Republicans Richard Jackson and Phillips Roland.

``I've really enjoyed being on the board. This will give me more of an ability to look at a long-term plan,'' she said. ``Of course it would be a heck of a lot more fun to be in the majority, in terms of setting policy.''

The caucus also nominated Tax Collector Edward Jekot and Town Clerk Claire Walker for new terms. It nominated David Palmer and incumbent Andrew Rockett for the school board; Stephen Krasinski and Peter Klein for the finance board; Robert Loubier and Deborah Numrych for the board of assessors; David Desso Jr. and David Desso Sr. for constables; and Darlene Lemiech, Joseph Scherr and Linda Abbott for the library board.